


Hold me tight

by HarryTwinks (AndroidHeaven)



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: But Mostly Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winksy is a fraidy cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24010408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndroidHeaven/pseuds/HarryTwinks
Summary: Eric invites Harry to spend some time over in his house. Misadventures ensue.
Relationships: Eric Dier/Harry Winks
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Hold me tight

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look! A Dier/Winks fic by me that isn't smut.
> 
> I know nobody reads fluff but I still felt the need to write this one and I'm posting it for the one person that will read this asdksdksa
> 
> ALSO, I made a Dier/Winks edit and you can watch it on my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/B_p2HFepeK6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link) of football vid!edits OR on my [Tumblr](https://aesthetic-football.tumblr.com/post/616933900396167168/another-edit-no-one-will-ever-see) that I also created just for that (although Tumblr kinda fucks up the quality of the vids for some reason).

Eric always had a soft spot for Winks ever since they met. Although at first Eric had come off as scary to Winksy, they had soon started to get closer and quickly formed a bond. They had become quite good friends and cherished being with each other every day, despite them not being as close as Eric wished them to be for quite some time. However, they had started to get much closer lately thanks to Winks always coming after Eric to talk about random things or to simply be around the man more than the other teammates for some reason. Eric was fond of how they had started to always be with each other whenever the opportunity appeared, to the point Eric didn’t really need to hide his affections towards Winks so much anymore, since the latter seemed to enjoy Eric’s presence just as much. They would chat all the time when they could at training or before matches and even when they were at home, just texting each other; amazingly they never seemed to run out of things to talk about or get tired of each other. 

Nevertheless, Eric wasn’t quite sure if Winksy saw him in the same way. Dier was old enough to realise that the feelings he had towards Harry weren’t a simple platonic brotherly love type like he had with Dele and the others, it was something much more. It was something he couldn’t control one bit. Eric couldn’t stop thinking about Harry even when they weren’t together, wondering what Winks might be doing all the time, thinking about who he was with and why. Eric really couldn’t put his thoughts to rest, but he tried not to mingle with them too much and to ignore the questions he had in his mind. It was hard to get a hold of himself because his heart always fluttered whenever Winks was being cute, especially when it was to Eric. He knew he was done for as his heart raced whenever Harry giggled at every little joke Eric made or how Winks felt so free to talk about the most random things to Eric that he didn’t talk to anyone else. It was almost as if Eric was also something special to him. He really hopes that’s true, no matter in which connotation. 

In fact, Eric was so lost in his feelings that he basically craved to be with Harry every day the most he could. Still, he tried not to make these things obvious since he didn’t want to suffocate Winks, especially because the man probably didn’t even see him in the same way. Nevertheless, that did not stop Eric from wanting to be around Winks during their free time. This particular day was no different than any other except for his decision. It had been a while since Eric had invited someone over to his house, therefore he used that as an excuse to invite Winksy over. Harry had happily agreed to come over after lunch time by the afternoon. 

When Harry finally arrived, Eric got mildly nervous for a bit on the inside as he had not really thought about anything through for them to do at his house. Honestly, Eric didn’t care much about that because he could stay in an empty room with Harry, just breathing alongside the man, and that would satisfy him already. Maybe Eric was really ruined for Winks after all. His worries were soon shattered away as Harry stepped inside already talking about a million things, telling Eric how he ‘wouldn’t believe what he had just seen on TV’ and other silly but wholesome stuff like that. Eric smiled and listened to everything Harry had to say, loving how he played with the dogs that came to greet him as he kept talking. 

They settled themselves on Eric’s couch after he had offered Winks water and he politely refused, continuing their non-stop chat. It was mostly Eric listening to Harry talking, not because he didn’t let the other man speak but because Eric enjoyed just listening to Winks. Of course that he answered Harry, it wasn’t exactly a one-sided conversation type, it’s just that Winks talked enough for the two of them when he was excited, and apparently he was excited for some reason. 

When the conversation started to die down after a while, Eric was unsure what Harry would like to do but wanted to keep the man entertained. That’s when he remembered how he has a pool and had the amazing idea to invite Winksy for a swim because why the hell not? 

“U-Uhm... I didn’t bring swimming shorts or anything.” 

“I can lend you something.” Eric offered politely; it’s not like this was a big a deal. 

“...Okay.” 

Eric ended up lending him the orange shorts that he never really used because they didn’t fit him due to its small size. It had fit almost perfectly on Winksy’s small waist as expected and so they proceeded to the pool once Eric had put on his blue shorts.

Eric entered the pool first, swimming around for a bit because the water was a bit cold before stopping to observe Winks. He hadn’t entered the pool, instead Harry had sat down on the edge and only put his legs inside. Eric figured he didn’t want to get in right away and kept swimming a bit, enjoying how Harry had started talking about something random again, a game that he had been playing lately apparently and how he managed to get the first place which was something almost impossible. Eric congratulated him and said that he would check it out sometime and even try playing with Harry if he wanted which made him smile in response. When the chat suddenly died down, Eric stopped swimming and observed how Winksy kept looking away as he played with the water by swinging his legs inside. 

“Are you not coming in?” 

Harry immediately looked back at Eric because of the question before stopping the movements of his legs on the water and looking away again. 

“Oh... In a bit.” 

Strange. Eric wasn’t sure why Winksy was acting a bit weird but knew better than to question the man and push his buttons. Maybe he was a bit down about something, but Eric wasn’t sure since he seemed so happy earlier when he arrived. Instead of inquiring and coming off as imposing, Eric decided to go with friendly teasing and had this amazing idea. Since he didn’t feel confident in asking Harry what was wrong, Eric might as well try to make him feel better with some good old-fashioned teasing fun. Eric swam to the edge and climbed out of the pool, pretending that he was going to jump back in. Instead, he went over to Harry who was distracted and suddenly pushed him inside, the water receiving a loud splash as Eric grinned. Eric jumped back in right after Harry was pushed, ready to receive Winksy’s curse words towards him.

However, that did not happen. He felt Harry immediately clutch onto him the moment he was in the water as well, surprising the older man because of the sudden movement. Harry held onto Eric like a Koala to a tree with his legs and arms wrapped around him, trembling so much that Eric wasn’t sure if it was just because of the sudden cold. 

“I-I can’t swim!” 

“What?!” 

It was a rhetorical question, yet Eric couldn’t help but blurt it out anyway; he had no idea Winks didn’t know how to swim and it simply surprised him. Eric wouldn’t have done that if he had known about it. Whenever the team went out together to a beach or went to pools or something, Harry would always just stay out of water or at least stay where he could still reach the ground. Still, Eric had no idea that was the reason and it only dawned on him now. 

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” 

“B-Because!” 

Harry kept holding onto him for dear life, as if letting go of Eric would cause him to die immediately and there would be no one around to save him from drowning. It was obviously an irrational fear because Eric was right there with him, nevertheless it didn’t make it any less frightening. Eric wasn’t born knowing how to swim, he knows how dreadful that feeling can be. Winks kept fidgeting as if he was scared that he was falling from Eric because of their weird position, his movements a bit panicky. Eric was quick to fix that by properly wrapping his arms around Winks so that he was holding the smaller man safely, this way it was impossible for Harry to slip from him. 

“It's okay, I got you.” Eric cooed although he hadn’t really intended on his voice sounding as soft as it did. 

It seemed to work because Harry had stopped fidgeting and trusted Eric, knowing that he wouldn’t let go of him. If it was anyone else Eric would probably tease them by pretending to let go, but this was Winksy and he looked very scared; Eric would never do that to him. If anything, he wanted Winksy’s fears to go away, even though it was a bit cute how he reacted to it. He would be lying to himself if he said that Winksy clutching onto him like that wasn’t making his heart flutter. 

“I will move but only to get you back to the edge, okay?” Eric softly warned, not wanting to scare Winks with any sudden movement. 

Winks nodded as he kept hugging Eric but not so fear-induced tightly anymore, his worries being eased by the man. Eric started swimming very slowly to the edge, holding Winksy firmly to comfort him. Harry whimpered as his head had suddenly dipped into the water for a bit, but Eric held even tighter to him, letting him know that he was still with him and wouldn’t let go. They finally reached the edge and Eric carefully lifted Winks up and placed him safely back on it, right where he was before. 

“There you go. Are you feeling better now?” 

Harry nodded slowly, relishing how Eric’s hands were still on him holding his legs that were underwater. 

“This is so embarrassing.” Winks looked away ashamed. 

It was comprehensible for Harry to have hidden that fact from him due to shame, but it turned out that trying to keep it hidden only made the situation even worse for him, so Winksy was feeling very embarrassed now if not mortified. However, Eric was an understanding person and Harry knew that. 

“There is nothing to be ashamed of, Winksy.” 

Winks shook his head but after a few seconds of recomposing himself his gaze met Eric's eyes again. He smiled sweetly to Eric, the look on his face unbearably soft as if he was thanking Eric for taking care of him. Eric returned the smile and was so lost in the feeling that he forgot that his hands were still on Winks. He sadly moved them away as he missed the warm comfort already but couldn’t bring himself to actually move away from Harry’s close space. They had stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, Eric still next to the younger man as he calmed down. Winks didn’t seem to mind it though as he broke the silence with something unexpected. 

“...Could you swim with me?” 

Eric’s heart started beating faster as his hopes of feeling Winksy’s warmth again have risen. 

“Of course.” 

Harry smiled a bit excited, it seemed as if he had never done that with someone else and didn’t trust anyone else with that responsibility. Eric couldn’t help but smile a bit as well at the thought and reached to pick Winks from the edge again but was suddenly stopped. 

“Wait, wait! You promise that you won’t let go of me? Not even for a bit or to tease me?” 

“I promise.” 

Eric lifted Winksy and held him tightly once more and then turned around to let the smaller man hold onto his back. Harry wrapped his arms and legs safely around Eric, tightly holding to him as the man started to swim slowly. Eric made sure that Harry’s head always stayed outside of the water for it not to be a scary experience but a fulfilling one to his friend. They kept slowly swimming around in the pool before Harry grew a bit bold and decided that he felt safe enough for Eric to swim around properly. He had even asked for Eric to dive with him so that Winks could feel the experience of being underwater without drowning. Eric surely complied and dived deep enough until Harry was also underwater with him, noticing how the grip on him had tightened momentarily until Eric went back up to the surface. Winks giggled at the silliness of it all and it was music to Dier’s ears. 

“Thank you.” 

Harry’s voice was so low and soft that Eric wasn’t sure if he had just imagined those quite words coming from behind him for a moment. Eric gulped and froze for a second, the intimacy of it all doing unspeakable things to his poor heart. He didn’t say anything back because what could he say without spilling too much? 

When they decided Winks had enough wild adventure for one day, Eric picked him up in his arms and swam back to the edge and placed him there before climbing out himself. They smiled at each other in silence, their soft eyes meeting again. Eric knew that if their gaze kept tangled like that, he would end up doing something stupid. Therefore, he broke the eye contact and started to make his way towards the small shower that was next to the pool to get cleaned a bit before getting a proper shower upstairs later. He was about to turn on the shower when he heard a wet slippery sound and then a loud splash in the water. 

Eric suddenly turned around to see what had happened and immediately noticed how Winks had fallen inside the pool. His actions were quicker than his thoughts as he headed to the pool and jumped right into the water to help Harry. Eric grabbed him right away and placed him on the edge before getting out of the water as well to check up on what had happened. 

“Are you okay? What happened?” 

“Ouch.” Winks touched the back of his head in pain. “I slipped and hit my head and then fell into the water.” 

Eric mentally cursed at himself, remembering how he has been told a thousand times to change the type of tiles he had around his pool because they were too slippery; Eric had managed to slip and fall a couple of times himself. He quickly moved his hand to check on Winksy’s head, observing intently to see if he was bleeding or anything of the sort. 

“It’s okay, I’m okay. I didn’t hit my head too hard.” Winks reassured as he noticed how Eric was worried. “Just a stupid accident.” 

“I should have changed these tiles ages ago.” Eric scoffed and sighed, relieved that it wasn’t anything worse but still worried at the thought if it had been something worse. 

Eric helped Harry up and made sure to stay right next to him just in case he managed to slip again or get weak and faint or something; staying on alert. They safely made their way to the kitchen where Eric helped Harry sit down (regardless if he needed the help) on one of the chairs before getting him a glass of water. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” 

Harry nodded smiling after he sipped on his water. “Yeah, just a bit of headache.” 

Eric quickly went fetch some painkillers that he had around and brought them back to Winksy. The younger man gladly took one as he finished his water. 

“I guess your experiences here today haven’t been great, huh?” Eric started as he sat down as well, smiling to himself. “First I almost drown you and then you almost have a concussion.” 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation as well, wondering what would come next on their misadventures. Even though he had felt some fear back in the pool, it had still been a great time ‘swimming’ around with Eric. Besides, Harry trusts him with his life, so it wasn’t that scary. 

Eric noticed how Harry spaced out for a while and didn’t bother on interfering, just observed the other man softly. He noticed how his eyes were a bit glossy and wondered if Winksy was as fine as he was saying. 

“Do you want to take a shower? Maybe it will help with your headache as well.” Eric offered politely remembering how the shower in his guest bathroom would probably do Harry some good. 

“Uhm...” 

Harry briefly looked away as if he was suddenly shy or scared of what he wanted to say. 

“What is it?” 

“I do, but...” Winksy’s face flushed as he kept talking, beautifully decorating his freckles. “I’m feeling a bit dizzy so... Would it be okay if we... showered together? You know, just to be safe.” 

Eric froze for a second at the unexpected request. It made sense and it was logical considering Harry was a bit dizzy because of the hit (and probably the medicine too) so it could be dangerous not to look after him and let him faint or something, and they have showered practically together countless times in the showers after training, therefore this wasn’t a big deal or at least it shouldn’t be. Still, this was a bit different if not drastically different, but Eric wasn’t going to let that affect him and make him nervous about his feelings towards the man. Harry’s safety comes first. 

“Of course, Winksy.” 

It went better than Eric expected. The water was warm and comfortable, unlike the weird atmosphere that had settled between them. It was almost completely silent in the shower save for a few words here and there. Eric had decided to shower with Winksy in his own bathroom upstairs next to his bedroom because it was more spacious, in hopes to avoid unnecessary and awkward physical contact with the smaller man as they showered. Dier had helped Winksy a bit whenever the latter felt too dizzy (even had helped him out of his shorts) but that was it. Eric had managed to live through their shared shower without anything really embarrassing happening. 

Eric put on some fresh clothes and helped Harry getting dressed in the ones he had arrived with earlier that day. They had some snack in the kitchen afterwards and then settled themselves on Eric’s couch to watch some TV, swapping through some film channels. They had eventually found something interesting that caught their attention and watched the film for a while. By then Harry was feeling better at least, so Eric didn’t have to worry about him much as they watched TV. Yet somehow Eric couldn’t stop thinking about the man next to him. He tried to ignore his lingering thoughts by concentrating on the movie just like Harry seemed to be paying full attention to. 

It turned out to be a horror film, they eventually realised. It was a paranormal type of horror and suspense film, those that make someone paranoid about their own house for a while after watching it, regardless of their beliefs. It was a bit unsettling although interesting, and Eric could see that he wasn’t alone in the feeling as he noticed how Winks inched closer to him on the couch by each passing minute, until their shoulders were practically glued together. He also noticed how Winks almost entangled their legs together unconsciously for a moment when the scenes were getting too suspenseful. They were mostly silent except for a few comments here and there and it was already dark outside as the night fell, adding more to the eerie mood that had settled in the room. Eric tried really hard not to observe how Winksy’s eyes were fixed on the TV and focus on the film instead, however it was a difficult task because Harry’s mildly scared concentration mixed with curiosity on it was quite cute. 

That’s when suddenly a loud noise could be heard coming from the kitchen, startling both men out of their thoughts. 

“W-What was that?” Harry asked with shaky voice, trying to sound calm but the uneasiness in his voice was too obvious. 

Eric turned around to look in the direction of the kitchen, slightly frowning but not thinking much of it. 

“I don’t know. Probably the wind or something.” 

Harry gulped but nodded slightly, turning his attention back to the TV with care. Eric didn’t think much of it because random noises are something common that happen all the time, but people only pay them attention when they are freaked out or on alert. They continued watching the film and somehow Harry managed to be pressing even closer to Eric than he was before, which he thought it was impossible. Eric resisted the urge to wrap his arm around Winks and comfort him with his warmth; it would be so nice to watch films with Harry whilst hugging the man. 

Eric snapped out of his hopeless trance as they heard another noise coming from the kitchen, this time even causing Harry to flinch and gasp as the noise had amazingly timed perfectly with a tense moment in the film. They both looked behind towards the kitchen at once, the atmosphere of it all making them a bit jumpy although Eric was sure it was probably nothing. 

“W-What was that now?” Harry asked without looking away from the direction of the kitchen, the discomfort in his voice as clear as water now. 

“I don’t know.” Eric answered truthfully. “Let me go check.” 

Eric got up from the couch, ready to go check the noises just to ease Harry’s worries and out of caution and curiosity. 

“Wait!” Winks grabbed Eric’s arm, stopping him. “Let me go with you.” 

Harry definitely shouldn’t watch horror stuff, Eric noted. He was even scared of being left alone in the couch for two minutes. Eric simply nodded and started to make his way towards the kitchen slowly. He would be walking faster if there wasn’t a fraidy-cat clinging onto him, but he didn’t mind it one bit. 

When they finally managed to approach and enter the kitchen, the first thing they could see is how one of Eric’s dog was there messing around. Eric clarified it to Winks and he calmed down a bit, so they finally returned to the couch with an eased mind. Harry was still a bit jumpy, the atmosphere of it all clearly getting to him, becoming a bit paranoid. Eric never expected Harry to be so fearful and that only made him want to protect him more. 

They continued watching the film for a while, Harry still pressed to Eric as close as he could without calling it a hug or cuddle. Eric was about to ask Winks if he wanted to watch something else in hopes to relieve the man’s fear-induced paranoia when suddenly the TV, lights—everything went off. Talk about timing, Eric thought to himself. Lately his neighbourhood had been under maintenance since the last thunderstorm that had fucked up a few energy cables, therefore sometimes the power would go out for a while. He didn’t expect for it to have such an amazing timing today, though. 

“W-what happened?!” Harry’s voice was now filled with anxious fear as he quickly held onto Eric’s arm just to make sure that he was still right there with him in the darkness. 

“The power went out. Don’t worry, it’s been happening a lot lately.” Eric explained calmly. “It should be back anytime soon.” 

Eric was about to reach for his phone to turn on the flashlight mode when he remembered how they forgot their phones upstairs in his room once they had showered and changed their clothes earlier. Some light would surely ease Harry’s mind, but Eric wasn’t sure where the candles were in his house either. 

“I’ll go fetch my phone to get some light. Do you want to come along?” Eric asked as he remembered how Winks didn’t like to be left alone. 

“Okay.” Harry answered, his voice a bit dry. 

Eric carefully got up from the couch and as expected felt Harry cling onto him in hopes that Eric wouldn’t go far without him. He walked slowly not to leave Winks behind and because he couldn’t see much either, carefully reaching out for the things and walls around to try and locate where they were going. Eric managed to stumble his toe somewhere and he cursed under his breath, trying very hard not to kick whatever furniture he had just accidentally hit. His anger soon faded as he got distracted by Harry’s sudden movement. 

Harry jumped and gasped and literally almost screamed as he felt something wet and soft against his left leg for a second. That’s it, he was certainly dead. Surely a demon must have just tried to reach out for his leg and pull him into the dark abyss of oblivion that was right underneath them that they couldn’t see in this horrible darkness. 

“E-Eric! S-Something moving just t-touched my leg!” 

Eric squinted and tried very hard to see what on earth Harry was talking about, but it was too dark for them to properly see what was on the floor, they could only make out some of the brighter furniture around them as their eyes adjusted to the dark. He tried to find with his leg whatever Harry had touched and mistaken for a goddamn entity from another world, but he was unable to find much considering he had no idea where it could be. Eric soon stopped trying to find it the moment Harry was clinging onto him so much that he was practically climbing Eric as if he was some sort of a safe tower as Winksy feared what could be on the ground. He wasted no time in picking Harry up because that was his first thought for some reason, holding him like he had in the pool earlier that day when Winks was scared of drowning. Harry immediately wrapped his arms and legs around Eric, feeling much safer being high off the ground at that moment, knowing there were demons lurking among their feet. Harry kept shuffling and making Eric’s work of holding him as he tried to find whatever the thing was with his legs much harder. Everything seemed to be growing to be more intense as even Eric was starting to get nervous, being contaminated by Winksy’s panicky words and actions. 

That’s when suddenly all the lights went on. And just like that, everything fell into a deep weird and sudden silence. The two men stared at each other wordlessly, realising how awkward it was for Eric to be holding Winks so closely in his arms like that, their faces mere inches apart. They could see each other clearly from the proximity and the fact that the lights were on now, both men frozen still as they kept staring at each other in disbelief of the situation. Eric wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at the world for teasing his feelings by giving him so many opportunities to be the closest he’s ever been to Winks. 

He only broke out of his trance when Harry turned his head to find what was the thing that had touched him earlier on the floor. It turned out to be one of Eric’s dog once again that was trying to sniffle the man with his wet nose. Winks mentally cursed at the fact, although relieved and still in love with Eric’s dogs. Eric realised how he was still holding Winksy and that he probably shouldn’t be since there was no reason anymore, and sadly let go of him again by putting him back on the floor. After a few seconds, they couldn’t help but start laughing at how stupid and wild this day had become, feeling like they were two stupid teenagers all over again getting into silly little ‘adventures’ when visiting a friend’s house. 

“At least the lights on the streets are working well enough again for you to drive home safely.” Eric commented still chuckling. 

Harry froze for a second at the realisation that he would have to go back to his house soon since it was getting very late and they slept early due to schedule. He didn’t want to go home. Despite the recent creepy events turning out to be okay, Harry was still a bit paranoid and jumpy and it probably would only go away once daytime returns. Driving alone in the night would already be discomforting enough, let alone the fact that he would have to return to his lonely empty house and be completely alone for the entire night. It was going to be a terrifying night. 

“Unless you want to sleep here tonight.” Eric commented carefully, realising Winks’ lingering uneasiness. 

Winks smiled happily and nodded, glad for Eric’s invitation. 

As they established that Harry was going to sleep over his house, Eric lent him some of his smallest clothes that still ended up being extremely baggy on Winksy; a long-sleeved t-shirt that went way over where his arms reached and exposed his collarbone perfectly, but at least the pants weren’t too big on his small waist, so he didn’t need anything to hold them up. Winks looked absolutely adorable and Eric’s heart kept fluttering at the sight, spacing out looking at the man until he snapped out of it to recompose himself. They had proceeded to the kitchen to get something to eat before getting ready to sleep, Eric even managed to find an unopened toothbrush box in his bathroom and gave it to Winksy to use. He was about to set his guest bedroom up when Winks cautiously stopped the man. 

“Would it be okay if... I slept in your bed... with you?” Harry asked shyly, unsure if he was pushing too much but he really didn’t want to be alone. 

Eric felt like he was having a déjà vu. Not only Harry had asked them to share a shower earlier that day but now he wanted to share the bed as well, doing unspeakable things to Dier’s soft heart. Eric wasn’t sure if he could take it; how on earth was he going to stop himself from hugging the man and holding him in his arms as the latter slept soundly? 

“Sure.” 

Luckily, Eric’s bed was quite big. It was enough to maybe fit three people in it with ease, but that still didn’t stop him from getting a bit anxious and excited to share a bed with Harry. The furthest experience he had with sleeping next to Harry was whenever they shared a hotel room and slept in beds right next to each other, but that was it. 

When they settled themselves on the bed, Eric couldn’t help but feel awkward for some reason, maybe not embarrassed but trapped, as if he makes any movement on the bed everything would be weird. Eric wasn’t sure what Harry wouldn’t mind or consider breaching so he was lying as far as he could in his end without being considered rude while Harry was more to the middle than on his own side. Eric was lying down on his back, facing the ceiling as one billion thoughts started to run through his unquiet mind. His thoughts were cut for a second as he noticed how Winks inched just a bit closer towards Eric’s direction on the bed, still facing away to the opposite side. Eric didn’t think much of it until when a couple of minutes later Winks had shifted even closer, to the point Eric wasn’t sure if he should be moving away to avoid contact shall the younger man move any closer. 

Eric noticed how Harry was also still completely awake when he turned around to face Eric, his eyes open. He couldn’t help but do the same for some reason, turning to his side so that he was facing Winks. Unexpectedly, Harry moved even closer to him until they were basically face to face in the bed, causing Eric’s heart to start beating faster. They kept looking in each other’s eyes without saying anything and without any reason, just enjoying the sight of each other. Harry smiled shyly before looking away and then closing his eyes to avoid the intense gaze Eric set upon him. Maybe he was still a bit scared, Eric figured, and just wanted to be closer to safety. 

Now that Harry’s eyes were closed, Eric could freely roam his eyes all over the man’s face without him noticing it, being able to observe every little detail from up-close without alerting Winksy. However, when Harry opened his eyes again to look at him, probably feeling how he was being carefully observed, Eric didn’t stop. He trailed his eyes over his thick beautiful dark eyebrows, past over his beautiful perfectly shaped nose and his perfect pink lips that looked so soft, and then he focused on all of those freckles on his face; God, those beautiful freckles. 

Eric observed how he had so many of them on his cheeks, going over his nose and down to its tip before reaching the other side of his face. There were some lighter and smaller ones around his eyebrows and up to his forehead, washing his face completely with those tiny dots. Harry couldn’t help but look away under such soft eyes checking every detail of his face, feeling suddenly shy. 

“Sixty-seven.” 

Harry blinked as he looked back into Eric’s eyes in confusion. 

“What?” 

“There are sixty-seven freckles on your cheeks.” 

Harry immediately blushed and broke the eye contact for a second before looking back at him again embarrassed and surprised. He wasn’t feeling uncomfortable or weirded out or anything of the sort. Instead, he was softly melting under Eric’s wandering eyes that treated him like a precious gem, and Harry couldn’t help but smile at that. 

And it was at that moment Eric realised how much he loved that man. It couldn’t be anything else but love, and he was certain of it. He never felt like this towards anyone else in his life, he never wanted to love and care for and protect anyone else more than the one who was right in front of him. Even if his feelings weren’t mutual, he would always be happy having Winksy beside him. So he kept looking at Harry’s smile, cherishing every bit of it and never touching the other man’s face even though he desperately wanted, scared that his hands were going to not do Harry’s soft skin any justice. 

However, Harry’s smile never faltered, and it was such an honest and full of unspoken meaning one that Eric wasn’t sure about anything anymore. Maybe there was a chance that Harry did like him back somewhere, even if deep down. Or maybe he got a bit over his head, driven by his emotions in this soft moment. He wasn’t sure and he didn’t care for a second when he did slowly reach with one hand for Harry’s face after all, softly placing it there to caress his skin. Winks suddenly blushed and his eyes went wide at the action, looking at Eric in disbelief yet somehow expectantly. Eric couldn’t stop his mouth from running after his thoughts. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Harry’s eyes went even wider for a second, surprised at the unexpected question. He simply nodded carefully, keeping his mouth shut because he didn’t trust himself to speak at that moment. Eric needed no further confirmation as he pressed his lips ever so gently to Harry’s own, feeling how those pink lips were softer than he had ever imagined and tasted better than anything in the world. The kiss felt as if it had lingered for an entire lifetime or eternity and beyond, fulfilling their hearts in a way they never thought it could. Eric was completely sure this was love now, it couldn’t be anything else indeed. When they parted the kiss, Harry couldn’t help but start smiling again, the sweetest candy to Eric’s heart, and he finally smiled back. 

Maybe one day Eric could tell Winks how much he loved him and maybe—just maybe, Harry would tell him that he feels the same. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you! Yes, you! Thank you so much for reading it to the end :D
> 
> I just love writing about someone being scared and the other person comforting sksksk or about everyone being scared and trying to comfort each other oof. I've written so many horror fics in my life but never a football one, maybe I should. 
> 
> Also, I might write a part 2 on this one.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos make my day <3


End file.
